naggingEnglishOxford American Thesaurusnagging adjective 1 I wanted to get away from my nagging parents: complaining, criticizing, grumbling, fault-finding, moaning, scolding, carping, shrewish, cavilling. 2 there was a nagging pain in his chest: persistent, continuous, lingering, niggling, troublesome, unrelenting, unremitting, unabating; aching, painful, distressing, worrying.